H.S. Football: Elmira runs away from Horseheads

Nate Latshaw's touchdown with 7.2 seconds left in the first half opened the scoring and helped Elmira to a 30-6 victory over Horseheads in the Section 4 Class AA final at Union-Endicott.
Robert Centorani, pressconnects.com

The Blue Raiders (6-4) drove to Elmira’s 31 and faced third-and-9. Quarterback Grayson Woodhouse rolled left, but he was sacked by Latshaw for a 9-yard loss.

Maurice Rankins Jr.’s 31-yard punt pinned the Express at its 9 with 3:43 left in the half.

On third-and-13 from the 21, Lewis broke a 34-yard run around left end to Horseheads’ 45. Still, the Express needed another big play to score before halftime.

It came in the form of a pass from Zack Middaugh to Ethan Simpson, who lined up on the left side of Elmira’s double-wing formation. Simpson ran a fade and caught up to a perfectly lofted ball from Middaugh and made it to the 1 with 10 seconds left in the half.

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Horseheads' Grayson Woodhouse throws a pass just out of the reach of a receiver in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Section 4 Class AA final against Elmira at Union-Endicott.
Robert Centorani, pressconnects.com

“It’s a play we’ve practiced once a day every single day since Aug. 13, or whatever it was,” Elmira coach Jimmy McCauley said. “Zack Middaugh is an extremely hungry competitor. He loves situations like that. We had an athlete out there, Ethan Simpson, he went up and got it.”

On the next play, Latshaw scored easily off the left side and Lewis’ two-point run had the Express ahead, 8-0 heading into the second half.

“I feel that took the other team down,” Lewis said. “It allowed us to pull away.”

That’s exactly what the Express did in the second half.

Horseheads received the second-half kickoff and started at its 22. Jeremiah Cheatham dropped Riley Loomis for no gain on first down, Thompson Miller ran down Loomis for a 3-yard loss on second down and Devin Hoskins felled Rankins for a 3-yard loss on third down.

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A few players had a shot at this pass by Horseheads' Grayson Woodhouse in the second quarter of Saturday's Section 4 Class AA final against Elmira.
Robert Centorani, pressconnects.com

Following a 7-yard punt, Elmira went 23 yards in four plays capped by Lewis’ 11-yard dash around left end. Lewis tacked on the two-point run and it was a 16-point lead.

“To start the second half, they stuff us and then we get a punt that goes about 4 yards, and then they go in and score again,” Horseheads coach Kevin Hillman said. “That was a big momentum shift.”

When Loomis was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1, Elmira took over at Horseheads’ 48 for its second possession of the third quarter.

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Horseheads' Riley Loomis is held to no gain on fourth-and-1 in the third quarter of Saturday's Section 4 Class AA final against Elmira.
Robert Centorani, pressconnects.com

Steady runs, mostly by Lewis and Latshaw, allowed the Express to cover those yards in 12 plays. Though Lewis and Latshaw can boast of 95- and 121-yard rushing days, respectively, they owe a lot of it to the big fellas up front.

Zack Taft, Jacob Allen, Zakhi Scharborough, Trey Hawken and David Lewis-Johnson did the dirty work and it was resulted in 374 rushing yards.

“The offensive line, they did very well today,” Lewis said. “They blocked their rules, they got everything done. They just did their job pretty much and blocked everyone they needed to.”

That doesn’t mean Elmira’s backs weren’t impressive. With Lewis going left, Latshaw between the tackles, and Simpson and Max Temple heading right, plays normally just get started when that quartet meets resistance. All four keep their legs moving and finish runs with aplomb.

When it’s Latshaw up the middle, plays often resemble rugby scrums as Elmira’s line surge often turn what look like 3-yard plays into 8-yard gains amid a mass of humanity.

Latshaw capped the drive with a 1-yard run and tacked on the two-point chaser as the Express’ lead grew to 24-0.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Temple turned in the run of the day. He was gifted space around right end but ran into traffic 10 yards from the end zone. What resulted was a pin-balling display as the 160-pounder broke four tackles before diving just inside the right pylon on a 19-yard touchdown run that made it 30-0.

As for Elmira’s defense, it allowed no points. The Express limited Horseheads to 35 rushing yards on 28 attempts and 131 yards of offense.

“I thought our defense came to play today,” said McCauley, whose team earned a 40-27 victory over the Blue Raiders in Week 2. “Excuse me, I thought our defense came to win today. We showed up to win. We put a lot of time and effort into our defense. … We got hats to the football.”

The Blue Raiders averted the shutout when Gavin Elston scooped a fumble and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown with 3:35 to play.

“Hopefully, we get some opportunities to come back here and play again,” said Hillman, whose team defeated Binghamton, 40-26 in a sectional semifinal last week. “There’s a program over there that’s been here seven straight years. That’s what we strive to be.

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The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Susquehanna Valley Sabers moves down a class this year to Class C in Section 4. Players showed up at 7:30 a.m. Monday, August 13, 2018 for the first official day of football practice. Jeff Platsky/Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

The Maine-Endwell Spartans brave the heavy rain to take to the field for the first day of football practice on Monday, August 13, 2018. Monday was the first day of practice for Section 4 fall athletic teams throughout the region. Kate Collins / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

The Susquehanna Valley Sabers moves down a class this year to Class C in Section 4. Players showed up at 7:30 a.m. Monday, August 13, 2018 for the first official day of football practice. Jeff Platsky/Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

For five years, Windsor football has begun its first practice of the season at 12:01 a.m. About 60 varsity and junior varsity football players gathered on the high school's new football field early Monday morning to start the season. Maggie Gilroy / Staff photo

The Susquehanna Valley Sabers moves down a class this year to Class C in Section 4. Players showed up at 7:30 a.m. Monday, August 13, 2018 for the first official day of football practice. Jeff Platsky/Staff photo

The Susquehanna Valley Sabers moves down a class this year to Class C in Section 4. Players showed up at 7:30 a.m. Monday, August 13, 2018 for the first official day of football practice. Jeff Platsky/Staff photo

The Susquehanna Valley Sabers moves down a class this year to Class C in Section 4. Players showed up at 7:30 a.m. Monday, August 13, 2018 for the first official day of football practice. Jeff Platsky/Staff photo